Riding a wave of medals from Team Canada’s second-most successful Olympics, the country’s Paralympians will soon be in Beijing for their shot at competition. The 2022 Beijing Paralympic Winter Games take place from March 4 to 13.
Canada’s Paralympic team is a fraction of the size of the Olympic team; 49 athletes and guides compared to the 215 athletes who just finished competing in Beijing and brought home 26 medals (four gold, eight silver and 14 bronze).
The Canadian Paralympic team is stacked with talent and experience. Thirty athletes are returning from the 2018 PyeongChang team, while 19 athletes will be making their Paralympic Games debut.
Among the team’s veterans are cross-country skier Brian McKeever, Canada’s most decorated Paralympian with 17 career Paralympic Games medals. He will be competing in his sixth Winter Games alongside para ice hockey player Billy Bridges, who is also competing in his sixth Winter Games.
Team Canada’s youngest member is Logan Leach, 19, who will be making his Paralympic Winter Games debut in para alpine skiing. The team’s oldest athlete is wheelchair curler Dennis Thiessen, 60, who is competing at his second games.
Athletes will be competing in all five sports at Beijing: para ice hockey, para nordic skiing (which includes both cross-country and biathlon), para alpine skiing, wheelchair curling and para snowboard.
Josh Dueck, chef de mission for the Paralympic team, is proud of all the athletes competing. “The past few years have been filled with many challenges and uncertainties, and while each person’s journey to the Games is unique, all 49 athletes have worked so hard to get here and are so deserving of their place on this team,” he says. “I know the performances and stories of these incredible athletes will elevate, motivate and unite Canadians across the country, displaying the joy and resiliency of the human spirit and the power of sport to change lives.”
With help from Canada’s Sport Institutes, we’ve compiled a list of athletes to keep an eye out for at the 2022 Beijing Paralympic Winter Games.
PARA ALPINE
When to watch: March 5-6, March 8, March 10-13
Katie Combaluzier, 28
Hometown: Toronto, Ont.
@combokate
Alexis Guimond, 22
Hometown: Gatineau, Que.
@alexis_guimond
Mollie Jepsen, 22
Hometown: West Vancouver, B.C.
@mollie_jepsen
Mac Marcoux, 24
Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
@macmarcoux
Alana Ramsay, 27
Hometown: Calgary, Alta.
@ramsay_alana
PARA ICE HOCKEY
When to watch: March 5-6, March 8-13 (Gold Medal Game: March 13)
PARA NORDIC SKIING
When to watch: March 6-7, March 9, March 12-13
Mark Arendz, 32
Hometown: Hartsville, PEI
@markarendz
Brittany Hudak, 28
Hometown: Prince Albert, Sask.
@brittany_hudak
Brian McKeever, 42
Hometown: Canmore, Alta.
@brian.mckeever
Natalie Wilkie, 21
Hometown: Salmon Arm, B.C.
@natalie_wilkie_
Emily Young, 31
Hometown: Kelowna, B.C.
@emsterlou
PARA SNOWBOARD
When to watch: March 6-7, March 12
Lisa DeJong, 32
Hometown: Biggar, Sask.
@lisa_dejong12
Alex Massie, 26
Hometown: Barrie, Ont.
@bubzurchin
Tyler Turner, 33
Hometown: Campbell River, B.C.
@tyturner14
WHEELCHAIR CURLING
When to watch: March 5-12
Ina Forrest, Mark Ideson (skip), Collinda Joseph, Dennis Thiessen, Jon Thurston
@curlingcanada
Lead Image Photo Credit: Brian McKeever competes at the Canmore Para Nordic World Cup on Dec. 5, 2021. Nordiq Canada/Nathaniel Mah
